The Woman of my Dreams
by Wilhelm J. Andersen
Summary: SwanQueen. Pan's curse has wiped Storybrooke off the map and left Emma and Henry without any memories. Meanwhile, Regina teams up with the Charming's to get her son and her true love, Emma back. An unexpected event occurs that puts Emma and Regina's love to the test. Can true love really overcome any obstacle?


**Hello, everyone. This is my first time writing a fanfiction so I hope you all like it. This idea just came to me so I decided to make a story out of it. Thanks for reading, and enjoy! :)**

**Storybrooke**

Emma slightly tensed as Regina took her hand. "My gift to you is good memories...a good life for you... And Henry" Regina said, tears filling in her eyes.

Emma relaxed at the woman's touching words, tears quickly filling her own eyes. She saw the good in Regina and immediately regretted any time she ever denied it. She finally understood the complicated woman before her. Emma now knew that the only reason Regina ever acted 'evil' was because of her past and how damaged she had become. She was lonely for the longest time, constantly screaming for help on the inside, but no one was ever there to help her. No one ever truly cared about her or her happiness, except Daniel of course; who was taken away from her just like any good thing in her life was ripped away.

"You will have never given him up. You'll have always been together." Regina continued, giving Emma a genuine smile.

"You would do that?" Emma said in shock.

"When I stop Pan's curse and you cross that town line, you will have the life you always wanted." Regina assured.

"But it won't be real."

"Well your past won't, but your future will. Now go. There isn't much time left and the curse will be here any minute." Regina said before pulling her son in for one last hug.

Tears rolled down Emma's cheek as her mother approached her, cupped her face, and placed a gentle kiss on Emma's forehead.

Regina quickly looked away from the scene, no longer being able to look at the pain on Snow's face as she let her daughter go once again. Regina genuinely felt sorry for everything she had done. She hadn't regretted it, as it gave her Henry, but she genuinely felt pain for the Charming family. From this day forward, she vowed to herself, she would be good.

What hurt Regina more than anything, she decided, was depriving Emma of her family, leaving her alone for 28 years. From the moment she laid eyes on Emma she was infuriated. How dare someone try to take her son away from her!? As time passed, Regina had realized that she and Emma were not all that different. All they wanted was for their son to be safe and happy. She grew tolerant of Emma and tolerance grew to fondness and fondness grew to love. Of course she hadn't told anyone, but ever since arriving back from Never Land, Regina was sure of this feeling she had toward Emma. It was love.

15 minutes earlier

Upon holding the curse in her hands Regina saw something. Yes, she had to say goodbye to the thing she loved most, but she already knew that. What happened when Regina fainted was that she had a vision of her happy ending. She had a vision of her future that she would not be able to attain due to this retched curse:

_Regina smiled upon feeling familiar arms wrap around her waist from behind. "Sweetheart, I must finish cooking. Your parents will be here for dinner in an hour and this lasagne isn't going to cook itself."_

_Emma gently turned Regina around, so her front was flush with Regina's and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Breathless, Regina asked "what was that for?"_

_"To show you how much I love you" Emma said, admiring the woman's beautiful brown eyes._

_Regina couldn't help but blush._

_"I'm serious Regina. I love you. I am hopelessly in love with you. I'm so lucky to have you." Emma said, giving Regina a small smile._

_"Emma dear, I love you too. More than you will ever know" Regina said as she wrapped her arms around Emma giving her a tight hug._

_The two women stood there, holding each other, feeling the warmth in their embrace for some time. Henry came into the kitchen laughing to himself at the sight of his mothers. "Will you two ever let each other go!?" He said playfully._

_Regina slightly pulled away- just enough so she could look into Emma's eyes. She smiled warmly and whispered "never," before pulling her back into a passionate kiss._

_Regina couldn't be happier. She felt warmth in her heart and finally had the happy ending she had always dreamed of._

Upon waking up from her brief dream Regina whispered Emma's name. She quickly realized that what just happened was not real and her relationship with Emma was merely a figment of her imagination, as it was completely unattainable by now. As much as Regina wanted to express her love for Emma, she knew there was no time left. The curse was quickly approaching and there was no point in causing herself or Emma any more pain. Regina knew what she had to do. Her sacrifice surely was the biggest of all. She continued to lie about the consequences of Pan's curse, only revealing part of it: she had to say goodbye to Henry.

15 minutes later

As Emma started her beloved yellow bug, she thought back on everything that just happened and felt as if her heart broke into a million pieces. She would never see her parents again she thought, the father of her child, all of the people she came to know and love would be wiped from her memory completely.

Emma was shocked to find that of all the people she was leaving behind, Regina stuck out the most. What was this feeling toward Regina? Was it appreciation of her gift to Emma? Or was it simply her overwhelming emotions impairing her judgement on the flawless brunette? Emma thought back on her time in Storybrooke- specifically her time with Regina. Yes at first they were sworn enemies, but their relationship evolved into something...beautiful. They had so many beautiful moments that Emma couldn't not seem to get out of her head. There were so many and every single one of them was beautiful, Emma thought to herself. Emma couldn't help but repress those feelings all this time because she knew there was a chance that Regina wouldn't love her back. If Emma ever told Regina about her love for her and got rejected, Emma's heart would be broken into millions of pieces. However, when Regina granted Emma happiness and a good life for her and Henry she saw something in Regina's eyes. The look Regina gave her was so familiar, but not matter how hard she tried, Emma couldn't place it. As Emma continued to sit in her yellow bug she realized that Regina loved her too.

Emma desperately needed Regina to know the truth. Regina had to know that Emma loved her too. As she was about to get out of the vehicle to express her feelings to Regina she looked in the rear view mirror and saw the magical smoke approaching fast. There was no time, Emma thought to herself, disappointed. She looked over to Henry who she could not let get hurt. She had to move fast. She couldn't put his life in danger. With an unbearable pain filling Emma's heart and a single tear rolling down her cheek, she pressed the gas and crossed the town line. Immediately, her memory of Storybrooke, of everyone she loved and just found to love, was gone.

**1 year later- Boston**

_"I'm home, my love!" Regina said closing the door to her mansion behind her. Emma ran to the front foyer to meet her beautiful girlfriend, who she missed so much. She saw Regina standing there with a bouquet of red roses. Emma's heart melted at the sight._

_"These are for you." Regina said, blushing slightly. Emma walked up to Regina, leaving only enough room for the flowers in between them._

_"They are beautiful, just like you." Emma said as she took the flowers in her hand. She smelled the sweet scent of the roses and placed them gently on the bench in the front foyer before pulling Regina into her arms._

_"I love you," Regina breathed into Emma's hair, hugging her with everything she had._

_"And I love you. So much." Emma replied, pulling back slightly to kiss Regina. Emma smiled into the kiss thinking of how happy she was._

_Suddenly Regina pulled out of the embrace, holding her chest in pain. Each breath became harder to take._

_"Oh my god! Regina! What's wrong!?" Emma shouted worriedly. Regina became light headed. Her knees weakened, no longer being able to hold herself up Regina started collapsing. Before hitting her head on the floor from the fall, Emma caught Regina. Emma was crouched down holding Regina in her arms. "Baby! Please! No! What's happening Regina? Please tell me you're okay. Regina please don't leave me! I love you." Emma felt the wetness on her cheeks. Regina stared up into Emma's beautiful green eyes and whispered "I love you" before giving her last breath and disappearing into thin air. _

_With Regina's body no longer in sight Emma held herself, rocking back and forth. "No!" She cried out, barely able to catch her own breath._

"REGINA!" Emma cried out, waking up from her nightmare.

"Mom!" Henry called out, running into his mother's room. He sat on her bed and hugged her, trying to calm her down from her dream. "Did you have the same nightmare again?" Henry worriedly asked his mother.

"Yes. It's the same one with that woman in it again. Henry I don't know what I'm going to do. I've been having these nightmares for a year now. I don't even know this woman!"

"I know mom. Maybe you should see a doctor or something" Henry proposed.

Emma gave Henry a small smile at his concern. "I'm sorry I woke you, kid. Let me tuck you back into bed"

"No way! I can't have my mom scared to death. I'm staying here with you tonight." Emma hugged her son and moved over to make room for him. She placed a light kiss on his forehead before lying back down to fall asleep.

"It'll be okay momma. I promise." Henry said in the hopeful tone he always seemed to have. He's so optimistic. So hopeful. I wonder where he got that from, Emma thought.

**The Enchanted Forest**

"Show them to me." Regina requested her mirror. The scene she saw before her eyes was the same one she saw every night since magic was back. Emma woke up crying uncontrollably, yelling Regina's name. This never ceased to strike curiosity in Regina.

"I don't understand. How does she know me? Her memory was supposed to be wiped out." Regina thought out loud.

Regina sighed and sat back in her chair. She was hopeful of finding Henry and her true love, but all hope was almost lost upon realizing the progress they had made. Magic was back in the enchanted forest, but it was weak; it could only be used for small things, such as looking through a mirror, as Regina just did. There was no way the magic was strong enough to open a portal. Regina practiced her magic every single day and barely made any progress. It began to get infuriating. A whole year passed and she still wasn't reunited with her loved ones. Tears began to fill her eyes in defeat.

"My Queen" One of the guards requested, standing in Regina's doorway. "Snow White is here to see you"

That's odd, Regina thought to herself. She wasn't expecting Snow today. They just spoke yesterday. Nonetheless Regina went to meet her friend in the living room.

"Regina!" Snow exclaimed, a huge smile was on her face.

"Snow, what is it?" Regina asked curiously.

"They did it. The fairies. Magic is normal again. They somehow strengthened it. We can make a portal Regina!" Snow said to her friend.

In disbelief Regina practiced her magic. She closed her eyes and with slight concentration teleported herself to the other side of the room. "It's true! Magic works again!" Regina exclaimed.

"Yes Regina! Now we can go find Emma and Henry!" Regina froze. She wasn't able to move. She had hoped for this moment for so long. She waited a whole year to hear those words. "We can go find Emma and Henry," she repeated to herself. Happy tears rolled down her cheeks. She was going to have a happy ending.

**The Enchanted Forest- immediately following the curse**

As soon as they were teleported back into the familiar kingdom Regina looked Snow in the eye and saw her pain. Snow saw the same in Regina's eyes when she looked up at the woman. As soon as she opened her mouth to apologize Hook interrupted.

"Well this is a load of bull now isn't it, loves" the angry man shouted to the group.

"Calm down Hook. None of us are exactly pleased by this outcome" Charming snapped.

Regina ignored the annoying man and continued her apology, "Snow, I'm sorry-" but was soon cut off by Snow.

"Me too Regina. I know we both have done some terrible things in our past. I never meant to hurt you Regina. I knew you loved Daniel. I wanted you to be happy together. Please believe me when I say that. Can you ever forgive me?" Snow asked, sincerely.

Regina smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks at Snow's speech. "I understand Snow. I can forgive you. But believe me when I say I'm sorry too. I cast a curse out of vengeance and that was wrong. I acted as a villain and ruined a lot of people's happy endings. I've done some horrendous things in the past. I hope you can forgive me, and I hope we can finally move on from this. I'm tired of fighting."

Snow pulled Regina into a tight hug. Regina initially tensed, but relaxed shortly after, wrapping her own arms around Snow, a smile forming on both of their faces. The two women who were enemies for so long finally made peace.

Charming smiled at the scene. "Well, what do we do now?" He asked. The women pull apart.

"Yes, please tell us. What do we do now? As much as I would love to stay and hug each other all day, I do recall a certain event that we all must act upon." Hook said, his patience wearing thin.

Snow walked to her husband and held his hand as she began to speak "Now we find a way to get Emma and Henry back"

"We can't" Regina began. "The curse forbade us from ever returning to Storybrooke. We can't go back. And even if we could, this land has been nearly deprived of magic for 28 years. It'll be nearly impossible to create a portal." Regina looked down, overcome with an expression of sadness on her face.

"Yes, the curse did say we can't return to Storybrooke, but it said nothing about not being able to go to Boston." Charming said, a smirk forming on his face.

"Yes, that's a great observation, Charming, but what about the magic?" Regina said quite dryly. The evil Queen was coming out in her. Frustration was boiling inside of her. She needed to find Emma and Henry. She needed to be with them. She needed to tell Emma that she loved her. She no longer cared if there were any consequences. The absence of Emma made Regina realize that she was wrong not to tell her in the first place. The love of her life, her happy ending was gone and Regina couldn't bare that thought. She looked back to Charming and saw his confused expression. Regina quickly realized that her attitude was not acceptable.

"I'm sorry. I just want my son back." Regina lied, leaving the part about Emma out. "Not that it's even possible" Regina sighed.

"We will find a way. I promise." Snow said assuring her friend. Regina was almost convinced of the woman's words. She then thought back about all the times she ever had her hopes up, only to have them ripped from her. Regardless, she still had the slightest bit of hope in Snow and hung onto that for dear life. Regina smiled at Snow.

"Promises, promises!" Hook shouted. "You are all useless. We don't have time to stay around and talk. We have to take action. You can all do what you want, but I'm leaving. I'm getting Emma back." Hook said before storming off.

"What on earth do you suppose we do, imbecile!?" Regina countered, making Hook stop in his tracks.

"We all want them back as much as you do!" she continued.

"Yes well, good luck with that. I'll find a way. Not with any of you." He replied, raising an eyebrow at the beautiful queen.

"Fine." Charming answered for Regina. "We don't need your assistance, and it seems you don't need ours. We'll leave you be." Hook continued walking away from the group. He was out of sight before Regina turned around and asked the question they've all been thinking.

"How do you suppose we start?"

"Well, we both still have our Kingdoms to worry about. I suggest we address our people who were affected by the curse. Let them know everything that's going on and assure them that it'll be okay. And then perhaps we could discuss operation save Henry and Emma over dinner at your palace." Snow suggested.

Regina smiled at the name of their mission. "That would be wonderful. Ill address my people and I'll see you at my palace at 6:00 sharp. If we are going to get Emma and Henry back, the process will not be easy. We need to start as soon as possible." Regina said.

"I'll help." Grumpy started. The other dwarves joined him "us too!" They said in unison.

"You can count me in" Granny said, Ruby approaching behind her, giving Snow and Regina a nod.

"I'll round up the fairies. We'll do everything we can to help you, my Queen." The blue fairy said, addressing Snow. She looked at Regina and gave her a small nod.

"Well then it's settled." Charming chimed in with a hopeful expression on his face. "Grumpy, gather the dwarves and start mining. The fairies need magic as soon as possible. Blue fairy, round up the others and start looking for ways we can open a portal to go to Boston." Charming politely commanded. "As for you Regina, I'm afraid the people will be wondering about your punishment. I know you've changed but they don't know that."

"I'll take care of it" Snow quickly retaliated. "Regina will be free. She will face no consequences. Everyone deserves a second chance." Regina gave a warm smile to Snow.

"Thank you" Regina said softly to Snow. She was genuinely touched at the woman's words. If there was one quality she admired most about her step daughter, it was that she saw the good in anybody. "Now let's go, we have a lot of work to do. I need to find my son" Regina said with determination in her eyes. Again, leaving out the part about her love for Emma.

**Boston**

"Alright kid, I'll be here to pick you up at 3:30." Emma said upon dropping Henry off at school.

"Okay. See you later ma!" Henry said running to meet his friends in the school playground.

Emma called in sick to work. She decided to take Henry's advice and see a doctor. She had no clue who this woman in her dreams was. All she knew is that she genuinely felt love for this woman. Even if she was just a figment of her imagination. Emma thought she was crazy for loving someone who didn't even exist, but she couldn't help her feelings. She couldn't help wanting to sleep every night to be able to see the gorgeous brunette again, even if the dream ended in agonizing heartbreak, the time spent with this so called 'Regina' was well worth it. 'Feeling this love makes me stronger' Emma thought to herself.

**The enchanted forest**

"We need a plan." Regina said. "We can't just go there and expect them to remember us at the mere sight of our faces. We need to figure out a way to break the curse!"

"True loves kiss!" Snow exclaimed. She quickly realized that Emma blocked herself off from being able to love anyone except Henry. She didn't exactly have a true love. "Never mind" Snow said in defeat.

"Wait." Regina began. "I have an idea. Last night I used my mirror to seem Emma and Henry. Emma was having a nightmare and woke up screaming. Henry ran into the room to help her and I discovered something. I think Emma has some faint memory of her time in Storybrooke. She seems to remember bits and pieces. She talks in her sleep and wakes up screaming my name for some reason." Regina said.

"That's odd. Why would she scream your name? She must be remembering the first few months in Storybrooke when she thought you were out to kill her." Snow thought out loud. "Well what do you propose, Regina?"

"She made an appointment to see a therapist this morning. Her appointment is at 2:00. If we could send Jiminy to take the other doctors place, he might gain some valuable information of what exactly Emma knows and could even possibly help Emma remember. Then he'll come back here to tell us. Memory is a fragile thing. We have to be careful and ease Emma into remembering us. Then we'll figure out how to break the curse. Once we break the curse on her behalf, Henry will remember too." Regina explained.

"Okay. Sounds like a plan. I'll get Jiminy and the fairies. We'll send him as soon as possible." Snow agreed. She trusted a Regina's judgement and had hope in the plan. She gave Regina a nod and exited her home, on her way to put Regina's plan into action.

**Boston**

After dropping Henry off at school, Emma had five hours to kill before her appointment. She was completely drained from the previous night, not being able to sleep after her nightmare. She decided she would go home, take a nap, eat some lunch and head to her appointment.

She threw herself on her couch upon returning home and dazed off into a comfortable slumber.

_It was date night for Emma and Regina. Henry was sleeping over at his Grandparents and the couple had the house to themselves. Upon returning from a romantic dinner, they decided to watch a movie- Snow White and the seven dwarves Emma picked. The couple watched the movie, snuggling up, enjoying each other's warmth and comfort. Regina laid down placing her head on Emma's lap while Emma was stroking Regina's hair. They watched the movie and by the time it was over Emma found Regina to be fast asleep on her lap. Not wanting to wake her up Emma turned the television off and scooped her delicate girlfriends into her arms, bridal style, carrying her to bed. Luckily, they were both already in their pyjamas. Emma gently laid Regina on the bed and tucked her in. She placed a small kiss on Regina's forehead and turned to make her way to her side of the bed. _

_Emma felt a hand grab her arm. "No wait, come back" Regina said to the beautiful blonde. "I want you." Regina pulled Emma's arm so that she was closer to the bed. Regina sat up and got on her knees so she was eye level to Emma. Emma couldn't help but smile and pull her girlfriend closer to give her a passionate kiss leaving both of then breathless. "Make love to me" Regina requested. Within an instant both women pulled their clothes off, leaving them completely nude. _

_Emma gently pushed Regina laying her on her back. Emma, now on top of the brunette, looked down into those beautiful brown eyes she loved so much. She slowly trailed kisses from Regina's forehead, down to her nose, mouth, and then neck. Emma placed gentle kisses behind Regina's ear knowing it was her weak spot. "Emma" Regina whispered, moving her neck to the side to allow more access for Emma. "I love you" Regina said breathless._

_"I love you too. Let me show you how much I love you" Emma replied. Emma trailed down the length of Regina's body, stopping her hand at Regina's breast. She gently massaged the area with her palm while playing with the hardened nipple using her thumb and index finger. Regina felt heated, becoming more aroused every second of their encounter. She dug her hands in the blondes hair, gently pulling at her golden curls. _

_Emma continued downward kissing Regina's abdomen, and stopping at Regina's entrance. She gently pushed Regina's thighs open and looked up to make eye contact with Regina. "Emma" Regina called her lovers name, craving some contact. _

_Emma smiled at her partners longing for her. She stuck her tongue out, sliding it from the woman's folds, all the way up to her sensitive bud. One quick flick of her tongue drove Regina crazy. Regina, craving even more pushed her hips higher, trying to make contact with Emma's mouth. She couldn't take the teasing any longer. "Emma please!" Regina pleaded. She needed satisfaction, she needed release. Emma stuck her tongue into Regina's core hard and fast, pushing Regina's hips into the motion, making a rhythm. She then removed her tongue and placed two fingers in its place, thrusting them in and out. _

_Regina continued to grab and pull on the blondes hair, never feeling more aroused. She pulled Emma up to her face and kissed her passionately, Emma still thrusting her fingers in and out of the woman. "I need you" Regina whispered into her lovers ear. She traced her fingers down the length of Emma's abdomen, finally cupping her. She inserted two fingers into Emma and used her thumb to massage her sensitive bud. The two woman were rocking back and forth in the same motion, both entering their partners repeatedly. Moments later both women were at their peak. Regina flicked Emma's nipple and Emma put pressure on Regina's clit. This was enough to send both women over the edge, reaching their climax in unison. Emma tiredly laid on top of Regina, smiling and glowing at their encounter. Regina took the strands of hair on Emma's face, tucking them behind her ear. She kissed Emma on the cheek before grabbing the woman by the waist and turning her over, so now Emma was on her back. She kissed her lovingly. _

_"I love you" Emma said to Regina. Cupping the woman's face. "And I love you" Regina replied, feeling her heart melt at Emma's words. The couple, now exhausted laid down on their sides, facing one another, staring deeply into each other's eyes. They brought their hands up and intertwined them, never wanting to let go._

_Suddenly Regina pulled out of the embrace, and shot up out of the bed, holding her chest in pain. Each breath became harder to take._

_"Oh my god! Regina! What's wrong!?" Emma shouted worriedly. Regina became light headed. Her knees weakened, no longer being able to hold herself up Regina started collapsing. Before hitting her head on the floor from the fall, Emma caught Regina. Emma was crouched down holding Regina in her arms. _

_"Baby! Please! No! What's happening Regina? Please tell me you're okay. Regina please don't leave me! I love you." Emma felt the wetness on her cheeks. Regina stared up into Emma's beautiful green eyes and whispered "I love you" before giving her last breath and disappearing into into thin air. _

_With Regina's body no longer in sight Emma held herself, rocking back and forth. "No!" She cried out, barely able to catch her own breath._

"REGINA!" Emma cried out, waking up from her nightmare.

Emma shot up from her bed, panicked. She couldn't help but cry uncontrollably. "Why does it always have to end like this" she thought out loud. She looked at the clock. It was 12:30. She didn't have an appetite. She continued to hold herself, pulling her knees to her chest and cried.

**The enchanted forest**

"Alright Jiminy, you ready to become human again?" Snow said looking down, smiling at the small cricket.

"I am." Jiminy said before the blue fairy waved her wand, turning him into the familiar face of Archie.

"Okay, we've gone over the plan. Do you think you can handle it?" Charming asked of his companion.

"Certainly. I'm glad to help." Jiminy replied.

With another wave of her wand, the blue fairy opened up a portal to Boston.

"We'll see you soon Jiminy. Good luck!" Snow said to him, before he jumped in the portal.

**Boston**

"I'm here to see Dr. Richmond" Emma said to the secretary.

"I'm sorry, but something came up. Dr. Richmond had an emergency and had to leave." The secretary replied to the blonde.

"Great. Just my luck" Emma sighed, turning on her heal about to leave the office. Just then an innocent looking man, with light brown-almost red hair, glasses, and an umbrella in his hand entered the office.

"Sorry I'm late" Jiminy said to the two women in the office. "Ms. Joanne, Dr. Richmond called me to take his appointments. I'll be filling in for the day" Jiminy said to the secretary, a warm smile on his face.

"Perfect. He told me about a replacement but I was beginning to think they weren't going to show." the secretary replied, slightly laughing. "His office is right through those doors." She pointed in front of her.

"You must be Emma, Dr. Richmond's 2:00 appointment." Jiminy asked the blonde woman.

"That's me" Emma said nervously.

"My name is Dr. Hopper, by the way. Is it alright that I'll be working with you today?"

Emma looked up at the man. She couldn't help but feel like she knew him from somewhere. He was so familiar. His eyes, glasses, hair, and oddly enough, that umbrella he carried around. "Yeah that's fine" Emma finally replied.

Jiminy gestured for Emma to enter the office first. He took his coat off, and placed his umbrella on the desk. "Please have a seat" Jiminy gestured to the couch beside Emma. Emma took her seat and so did Jiminy across from her. "So tell me Emma. What seems to be the problem?" Jiminy asked, quite concerned at the blondes expression.

"Well...uhhh... Mmmm. It's kind of hard to say. I haven't even figured it out myself yet." Emma started.

"Take your time. No rush. Whenever you're ready, you can start." Jiminy said.

"Well I've been having these dreams...actually they are more like nightmares. I've been having them almost every night for a year. It involves the same woman each time. We seem to be...well...we are in love." Emma blushed and looked down at her hands.

"Have you met this woman before? Describe her." Jiminy asked, curiously. He understood, from what Snow had said, that she was remembering Storybrooke. It seemed to him that she was just remembering one person in particular. And being in love? He never heard of that before. He was greatly confused but let Emma continue.

"Actually I have no idea who she is. I feel like I know her from somewhere; like I've met her before. But I haven't. She's really quite beautiful. She has short brown hair, big brown eyes. Her smile could light up the whole room. I think her name is Regina." Emma said, remembering the flawless woman from her dreams.

Jiminy was in absolute shock. Emma was having dreams about being in love with Regina. The evil queen... Well, the former evil queen. How odd, he thought.

"Mhm" Jiminy encouraged. "And you said these dreams are more like nightmares. How so?"

"Well it's quite terrible actually. I always wake up screaming. It starts off really well: this Regina girl and I are happy, we are in love. And then at the end of the dream she ends up in agonizing pain. She grabs her chest and her whole body weakens. She falls, but I catch her in time. Each time, I'm left there, just holding her, begging for her to stay, for her to be alright...And then just before she goes, she looks me right in the eyes and says "I love you". Right after that she disappears into thin air. As if it never happened at all, leaving me on the cold floor by myself." Emma explained to Dr. Hopper, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Jiminy passes Emma a box of tissues. He continued to try to reason with Emma. "A lot of times, dreams are figurative. They have a hidden meaning behind it. In your case it seems as if someone you have lost someone you loved very much, someone from your past is now gone? Either they passed away, or they left you. For some reason they are out of your life and you can't get them back. Is that right?" He asks Emma this in hopes that she will remember. She might remember Pan's curse and her having to leave her loved ones: her mother, father, and now Regina?

"Well No. Not really. I don't have anyone from my past. All I have, all I have ever had is my son, Henry." Emma explains. "But what about this woman? How come she is in every dream!?"

"Sometimes Emma, our mind plays tricks on us. Our mind needs to remain stable, balanced, and constant. This woman, Regina, she is what's keeping your mind at balance. She is a great source of many of your thoughts. You just have to figure out what this woman represents, and why she is of such great importance to you. Try to read between the lines, Emma. This woman may be harder to find than you imagine. But she was a part of your life. Your mind is not capable of making up such a vivid dream; it had to have stemmed from somewhere. Seems like what you are describing is a memory to me. The only reason she is leaving you alone and causing you so much pain in the end is because in your mind, she is unattainable. In real life you are unable to be with her, so it's the same way in your mind too. But when you do find her, or what she represents, hang onto that. It'll be very important for your future." Jiminy explained.

Emma found the man very curious. She's gone to therapists before, as she was forced to by one of her foster parents. But those therapists were different. They never seemed as concerned or hopeful as Dr. Hopper did, Emma thought to herself. Nonetheless, she took his words and held onto them. She needed to figure out who this woman was, or what she represents and do something about it.

"What if I never find her, or what she represents?" Emma asked.

"Well Emma, you have to be hopeful. You have to believe you can find her, and you will. If you don't believe, if you aren't really looking, then she will not appear." He replied, looking curiously at Emma.

"I feel insane loving someone who I never met. I mean, it's real, I do love her but... How could I love a figment of my imagination?" Emma asked.

"Indeed it is quite odd Emma, but like I said, Regina may not be a figment of your imagination. She could be just as real as you are. You just have to look for her." Jiminy replied.

"Well, thanks Doc. I better go; I have to pick up my son. Maybe I'll see you around." Emma said before getting up, shaking Dr. Hoppers hand and exiting the office.

**The Enchanted Forest**

"Jiminy!" Snow exclaimed upon seeing the familiar man come out of the portal. Standing before him was Regina, charming, and Snow, all with worried expressions on their faces.

"Welcome back!" Charming said, placing a hand on Jiminy's shoulder.

"It's good to be back" he replied. He looked at Regina, seeing the worry in her eyes. He knew something wasn't right. There was more to this than what it seemed. Regina was hiding the truth.

"Well, what happened?" Regina asked anxiously.

"Regina..." Jiminy began. "The reason Emma has been screaming your name out after her nightmares was not because she was dreaming of the past and Storybrooke. I don't exactly know when her dreams are taking place or if they are happening at all, but I know this..."

"Spit it out!" Exclaimed a nervous Regina.

"Regina, Emma loves you. She has been having dreams of you together, happily in love...but near the end of the dream you always seem to leave her. You pass away, and vanish into thin air." Jiminy explained.

Regina had a look of confusion on her face. Emma was in love with her? She thought. In order for that to be true, Emma must have loved her in Storybrooke too. A smile grew on Regina's face. However, the fact that Emma's happiness was constantly destroyed, and that Regina not being able to be with Emma caused her nightmares and pain was an unbearable thought. She had to find Emma. They had to be together. The three individuals standing before her stared at Regina curiously.

"Regina Emma loves you" Snow said in disbelief.

"Yes Snow, it's true. However I think there is something you have yet to tell us, Regina" Jiminy stated, looking directly into Regina's eyes.

"Fine." Regina started.

"I don't understand, what's going on?" Charming asked. The expression on his was filled with worry.

"When I held Pan's curse in my hands, I saw what needed to be done." Regina explained

"Yes, you had to give up the thing you love the most. You had to leave Henry" Snow interrupted.

"Yes, but that was only part of it." Regina continued. "I knew I had to give Henry up. I had to give up the thing I loved most when I started the curse, of course I would have to do the same when I ended it. The reason I fainted, was because I saw my greater sacrifice. I had a vision of Emma and me in the future. We were happy and in love. We were both had our happy endings and it was beautiful. You guys were coming for dinner, and Henry was as excited as ever. Happiness filled the room. But then I woke up. I realized that the reason I had that vision was to show me my happy ending and that I would never be able to attain it because of the curse. I was to live a life of misery, dwelling on what couldn't have been if the curse hadn't taken over. That's why when I woke up I whispered Emma's name. I realized that what just happened was a dream and my relationship with Emma was merely a figment of my imagination as it was completely unattainable by then. As much as I wanted to express my love for Emma, I knew there was no time left. The curse was quickly approaching and there was no point in causing Emma any more pain. I knew what I had to do. My sacrifice surely was the biggest of all. Then I lied about the consequences of Pan's curse, leavening out the part of my happy ending with Emma." Regina couldn't help the tears furiously rolling down her cheeks, hitting the ground like bullets.

The three individuals before her were in shock. Snow walked up to Regina. "You really love her? My daughter? You love Emma?" Snow asked looking directly into Regina's eyes.

"I do. With all of my heart" Regina replied. Snow pulled Regina into a hug which took Regina by surprise.

"The suffering of not being able to be with the one you love is the greatest suffering of all. I'm so sorry you had to go through this Regina. You were strong enough to let her go, and you paid the price." Snow smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek. She was genuinely happy for Regina being able to love again, but the fact still remained. Emma had no clue who Regina was.

"Oh, my!" Snow gasped, pulling out of the hug. "I have an idea! Regina remember when we were talking about saving Emma and Henry and that true loves kiss could break a curse but Emma didn't have a true love? Well now that we know she loves you and you love her, it will work! Regina, you can go to Boston and Emma will recognize you from her dream. She won't let you pass her by, as 'Dr. Hopper' told her to and you two can talk. She probably has one hundred questions for you and then true loves kiss can break the curse!"

Regina was taken aback. She didn't know what to say. Firstly she was slightly surprised by Snow's acceptance of the two. She understood that of all people, Snow knew about true love the most, which is why she was so open to the idea of her and Emma. Secondly she was in disbelief. Would she finally be getting her happy ending? What if Emma doesn't listen? What if Emma will just run away to prevent herself from getting hurt again? "Are you sure this will work?" Regina asked worriedly.

Charming walked up to Regina and placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "If you are going to become a part of this family, you need to learn to have some hope." Charming said, giving Regina a warm smile.

"Okay. I'll do it" Regina said. She hoped she was ready for this.

...

"We are going to need a couple of days to open another portal" the Blue fairy started. "I'll round up the dwarves to continue mining, and we'll contact you as soon as you're ready, my queen" she looked at snow and gave her a hopeful nod.

"Thank you Blue" Snow replied. "You know where to find us" the Blue fairy left the Queen and did as she said.

Snow left her chambers to meet her husband and Regina in the dining hall, where they were planning how to go about breaking the curse.

"I can't just go up to her and kiss her!" Regina exclaimed.

Snow interrupted, "the blue fairy paid me a visit. They need a couple of more days to round up the special type of magic strong to enough to open another portal."

"Good. It looks like we need those days to figure out the plan anyway" Charming playfully said, looking at Regina.

The trio was taken aback when they heard a loud boom in the entrance to the room. The large puff of green smoke disappeared to reveal a scary looking woman with red hair, and green skin. She was wearing a tight grey dress and wore her hair in soft curls to one side and had a witch's hat atop her head.

"The name is Wicked" she introduced herself to the king and queen. "Ah, Regina. I was hoping to find you here. Long time no see, my friend. 28 years is too long, don't you think?"

Regina was in shock. 'No, not her, not now' she thought to herself. She tried to play it cool, taking on the attitude of the former evil queen. "Ana dear, how good to see you again. Wicked? What kind of name is that? Did those beloved little munchkins give it to you?"

"Actually... no. It came naturally as I am the wickedest witch in that whole land." The green woman said with a smirk.

"Ah, fitting." Regina said, coolly. "Is there any particular reason you're here Ana, if I may call you that. To be quite frank you don't seem all that 'wicked' to me."

"Oh?" the woman said giving Regina a stare that could kill. "Well we'll see about that. And actually yes, there is a reason I'm here. I've heard a lot about your curse. It was quite brilliant actually. Only if that wretched girl... 'The saviour' ... what was her name again? Ah yes, Emma. Only if she didn't break the curse, you'd still be living your happily ever after."

"How do you know about that? How do you know about her?" Regina demanded from the evil witch.

"Oh dear, you haven't heard? News travels quickly; I'm surprised you don't know. Almost every land, every world, every realm has heard about your curse. They quite admire it- well the evil individuals do anyway. Everyone wants to get their hands on that curse. I guess I'm the first one to ask... so tell me Regina, where is the curse?"

Regina furrowed her brows in confusion. First of all, how on earth did anyone know about the curse? As far as she was concerned it only had to do with the enchanted forest. Secondly, she didn't have the curse. She ripped it up before leaving Storybrooke. It was gone, forever. Thirdly, even if she did have the curse she wouldn't give it to anyone. That curse was terrible. It ruined so many happy endings, and couldn't fill a void no matter how much the user would want it to. Regina collected herself to reply to the witch. "Wow, look at that. I'm the topic of choice in multiple different worlds. Who would've thought? As for the curse... you've come to the wrong place my dear. The curse is gone. I no longer have it."

"Don't you dare try to fool me, Regina! You've done it once before and I won't let you do it again. I'm going to ask you one more time... where is the curse!?" the green woman shouted to her opponent.

"Ana darling, believe me I don't have it. And even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you." Regina said, a smirk grew on her face as she saw the frustration in the witch's eyes.

"Oh dear, you've made a great mistake." The witch picked up her broom and stomped the bottom of it on the palace floor. A shimmering light flashed across the room, startling the trio before her.

"What was that?!" Snow exclaimed.

"Well for starters, I froze time. Everyone in the enchanted forest is stuck. They are frozen and will only come to when _I _say so!"

Regina pushed her arms out in hopes to knock the evil which on the floor with magic, but nothing happened.

"hahaha" the green woman laughed to herself. "As for you three, you are stuck in this palace with no escape; and Regina, don't even try to use magic. It won't work... I did warn you Regina, I will not be fooled again! You have 48 hours to tell me where the curse is or... let's just say your future won't be looking too bright. Good day." The wicked woman said before disappearing into a green puff of smoke.

"What the hell was that, Regina?! Who was she and why is she putting our kingdom at risk?" Charming asked, his patience wearing thin.

"She's trying to get back at me. I wasn't exactly too friendly with her in the past. She'll do anything, kill or hurt anyone, just to get back at me." Regina sighed.

"We have to stop her. She can't destroy the Kingdom for something that doesn't even exist... and Emma and Henry! I'll never see them again." Regina said, tears began to fill her eyes.

"Regina... what did you do to her?" Snow asked, looking at the devastated brunette before her.

"It's a long story." Regina said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"We've got lots of time." Charming countered.

"I met her years ago, shortly before I cast the curse. I wanted you dead, Snow, and I needed a solid plan before I could proceed. I heard of a certain object that was extremely important. They were red ruby slippers. By putting these slippers on, the wearer would become immediately powerful and no one or nothing could be a threat. Just by tapping your heels together whilst wearing the shoes could turn your dreams into a reality. I figured that all I had to do was put the shoes on, hope you were dead and it would happen. I needed those slippers. I searched everywhere for these shoes and was later informed that they resided in a land called Oz. Upon entering the land I found out that the shoes were being kept by a woman named Ana. She was the princess of the Eastern Land. I immediately went to find her to take the shoes so I could come back to the enchanted forest and finish my deed. I found her in the palace, all alone, crying. She had a look on her face that I know all too well. It was the look of misery, and loneliness. I had to think quickly. When she asked who I was I claimed to be the great and powerful Oz, who would give her a happy ending, for a price. I would take her back to the enchanted forest; give her a home, a companion, and a happy life, in exchange for the slippers. Of course I was lying; I couldn't care less about her happiness. She agreed and handed me the shoes. I told her she was foolish for believing a stranger and started to walk away. She called out to me and told me I would regret that decision. I would pay for what I was doing. And sure enough here I am. I destroyed her happiness and now she is destroying mine."

"What about the slippers?" charming asked, confused.

"I was later informed that they didn't work outside the land of Oz. It was completely useless for me. I left them behind." Regina responded "upon returning I asked my mirror to show me Ana. I had to make sure she was bluffing, that she wouldn't come after me. I saw her there in her palace. She somehow got the slippers back and tapped her heals together. Within an instant the woman became green, and fury filled her eyes. I suppose she wished to seek vengeance on me, or to have power that would make her the strongest, and most powerful in all of the lands. I cast the curse shortly after the encounter. She has been waiting over 28 years to get back at me. And now she wants to control me and the whole kingdom like I wanted to do with you Snow. I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Regina said, tears filling her eyes.

**Boston**

"Hey kid" Emma smiled at her son as he got in the car. "How was school today?"

"It was pretty cool actually! We learned about fairy tales and now we have to pick one and give it a cool twist. I think I'm going to write about Snow White and the Seven Dwarves." Henry said with a smile on his face.

"And why is that?" Emma asked her son curiously, as she pulled out of the school parking lot.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to judge? And no laughing either!" Henry looked up at his mom.

"Yeah kid, I promise" Emma said, giving her son a light shove on the shoulder.

"Every time I watch that movie...I feel different. I feel like I know the characters. I know it sounds crazy but I can't help but feel close to them, like I knew them in another life." Henry explained to his mother.

Emma did found it quite odd, but she kept to her word and made no judgements, and didn't laugh. "Well that...that's interesting Henry. I'm glad you found something you're so passionate about." Emma smiled at her son.

Henry smiled back "how did your appointment go?" he asked anxiously.

"Can we talk about it later; I'm kind of confused about it myself." Emma asked.

"Sure mom. Whenever you're ready." Henry gave his mom a light shove back.

**The Enchanted Forest**

"What the hell happened here?!" Hook said as he looked around, seeing the Enchanted forest for what it had just become. People were frozen in their tracks. Time had stopped. Hook was as confused as ever. He returned to the forest to seek Regina who he hoped would help with his plan. He continued to check the land for any sign of life. Upon entering Snow and Charming's palace, Hook heard voices. He followed them to the palace's dining hall.

"Hook!" Charming exclaimed. "How did you get in here?"

"Well the front door proved quite helpful" Hook replied wittily.

"Maybe the curse wore off" Snow said ignoring Hook's attempt at humour. She ran to the front door to exit the palace before being knocked back by the force field still entrapping them.

"He mustn't have been in the land when Ana cast the curse. He isn't affected by it" Regina rationalized.

"Why are you here anyway hook? What brought you back to our kingdom?" Charming asked of the mysterious man.

"To do some business with Regina, which clearly cannot happen now." Hook explained

"Care to elaborate a little?" an annoyed Regina asked.

"Well if I must" Hook huffed. "When I left you after the curse took us back to the enchanted forest I searched everywhere for something that could open a portal. As you are well aware, magic became different following the curse, making my mission nearly impossible. I finally stumbled upon a bean that could open up a portal...if it had magic, that is." Hook said, pulling the dried up bean from his pocket to show the group. "We all know how powerful Regina is so I was hoping she knew how to use magic in a different way, a way that could bring this bean to life so we could open a portal."

"Don't you think if I was strong enough to do such a thing I would've already had my son and Emma back here by now, idiot!?" Regina shouted anger in her eyes.

"Yes love, I'm well aware, but I took my chances anyway. For all I know you could have been locked up in a cell, for your crimes against the kingdom. I could've saved you and we could've proceeded on opening the portal." Hook responded.

"And even if you did make it to Boston how do you think you would've broken Henry and Emma's curse?" Snow asked, eyeing the man.

"Well, true loves kiss of course, dear." Hook said, with a cocky smirk.

Snow laughs at his statement. "Nice try but that won't work. Regina is her true love. Emma could never love you hook." Snow said.

"What?" Hook asked confused. A hurt expression grew on his face.

"She's been dreaming about me. We sent Jiminy to act as a therapist for Emma so he could find out what Emma knows and possibly ease her into remembering. We found out that Emma is in love with me." Regina said; her expression was hopeful.

"Ah. I see." Hook said coolly. "And you love Emma back?"

"I do" Regina replied, looking down at her hands.

"Well now that that's settled I'll be off." Hook said, turning on his heal. He was taken aback by this news. He thought the kiss he and Emma shared in Never Land was special. 'I guess not' he thought to himself.

"NO WAIT!" Regina called. "You need to help us! The entire enchanted forest is in danger. Emma is the saviour. She needs to come back and help us!"

"And how do you suppose I do that" Hook asked annoyed. "She won't come with a complete stranger!"

"Tell her Regina is waiting for her and she loves her. She'll understand... she'll come find us." Regina said hopeful.

"Why would I do anything for you?" Hook asks curiously

"Because you're our only hope" Charming says. "And Emma's in pain. She wakes up, crying every night because she can't get to her happy ending. You're not only hurting us and the kingdom Hook, you're hurting Emma."

Hook thinks about what Charming just said. 'What's the point of saving someone if the relationship is meaningless? I'll save her only to be neglected when we return and her memory is restored?' Hook thinks to himself. However, he couldn't fathom the thought of Emma hurting every night. Even though she doesn't love Hook, Hook will always love her.

"Fine. I'll do it" Hook agrees. "But how will I get there? This bean still doesn't work."

"Here, take this" Snow gently takes the silver chain from her neck. "My mother gave this to me before she died...I loved her with everything I had. This necklace is a symbol of love, so it should create magic." A tear rolled down Snows cheek. Hook took the necklace.

Regina saw the hurt in Snow's eyes and couldn't help but feel guilty. She didn't kill snows mother, but Cora did. She felt responsible for any bad thing that had ever happened to Snow. She looked to Hook, with determination in her eyes "Simply throw the bean along with the necklace in the water. Take your ship and find Henry and Emma." Regina commanded.

The trio watched as Hook effortlessly crossed the force field, exiting he palace.

**Boston**

Emma didn't have a nightmare last night. She hadn't had a good night's sleep like that in ages. She woke up at 8:15 sharp and decided to whip up a lovely breakfast for her and her son. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and hot chocolate with whip cream and cinnamon on top. She tried to forget about this Regina woman, temporarily at least, so she could enjoy this beautiful morning with her son. She smiled at Henry, watching him water the plants as she was finishing the scrambled eggs. Just as they were about to sit down and eat she heard a loud knock on the door.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Henry asked, slightly confused.

"No" Emma said, equally as confused. Another loud bang on the door startled Emma. "Henry wait here" she commanded to her son before getting up and walking to see who would disturb her in such a manner.

She opened the door to find an attractive man in odd leather attire.

"Swan" the strange man whispered, a smile grew on his face. The man took a step closer to Emma.

"Whoa!" Emma said before holding her hand out, stopping the man from coming any further. "Do I know you?" She asked curiously.

"Look, I need your help. Something's happened, something terrible. Your family is in trouble." The man replied.

"My family is right here, who are you?"

"An old friend. Look, I know you can't remember me but... I can make you" the strange man said before pulling Emma into a kiss.

Startled, Emma kicked the man in the groin before asking "What the hell are you doing?"

"It was a long shot. I had to try" the man said, crouching over from the pain. "I was hoping you felt as I did." He continued.

"All you're gonna feel is the hand cuffs when I call the cops" Emma replied, extremely confused at what just happened.

"Look I know this seems crazy but you have to listen to me you have to remem-" the man was cut off from finishing his sentence as Emma slammed the door.

"Who was that?" Henry asked curiously upon his mother's return.

"No idea, someone must have left the door open downstairs... come on, let's eat." Emma said as she walked over to the table.

...

"Well that went well" Hook thought out loud. Initially, he was hoping that it wasn't true- that Regina and Emma weren't destined to be together. He was convinced Emma liked him back, but was clearly proven wrong. Not being able to return to the enchanted forest empty handed, he knocks on the door again. Kissing Emma didn't work, but maybe mentioning Regina would.

...

Emma and Henry both jumped as they heard yet another loud knock.

"Seriously!?" Emma says clearly annoyed. "Kid you gotta stay put. Don't come to the door" Emma once again commanded of her son.

"But mom maybe I can help. Let me answer it this time!" Henry proposes.

"No way kid! I mean it, you stay here. Please listen to me." Emma requested politely of her son.

"Fine" Henry sighs.

Emma grabbed the phone and upon opening the front door threatens the man. "Look pal, if you don't leave within five seconds I'm calling the cops. I'm not playing around. I don't know who the hell you are or what you want, but I'm warning you! LEAVE!" Emma angrily yells to the mysterious man before her. "Please, I'm sorry! I just need 5 minutes of your time. Let me explain." The man begs.

"Alright, you had your chance." Emma says before dialling 9 on the phone.

"Please! Regina sent me!" the man looks directly into Emma's eyes, hoping to see a change in expression.

"Hey mom! Isn't that the girl from you keep dreaming about?" Henry says, peeking over his mothers shoulder.

"Kid! I told you to stay put!" Emma looks down at her son.

"Henry!" the man excitedly called out.

"How do you know my sons name? Who are you? Who is this Regina woman?" Emma's heart dropped upon hearing the woman's name. She was overflowing with confusion. She had so many questions, so many worries. For some reason she found this mysterious man to be very familiar. She trusted him. She didn't know why, but the fact of the matter still remained.

"I would love to tell you. Just let me explain" the man asked politely.

Emma moved out of the way, gesturing for the man to enter her apartment.

"The name is Hook by the way" the man explained.

Hook and Henry comfortably sat on the couch while Emma was pacing in front of them. "Talk" she commanded from this Hook character.

"One year ago, a curse was cast that made you forget who you are. All of your memories were wiped out from your mind, and you were lead to believe that for most of your life, it had just been you and Henry. You were lead to believe that he was your only family, and you had no one else. All of the memories you have with Henry- from taking him home from the hospital all the way up to one year ago has been a lie. But Emma you have to trust me, you have to come back to the enchanted forest with me. Your family is in trouble and they need you back to save them." Hook explained.

Emma was taken aback, and slightly offended from what she just heard. The memories with her son were fake? That's impossible. And what's this guy talking about: a curse and the enchanted forest? He must be nuts, Emma though to herself. As odd as everything she just heard was, she trusted this man. She could tell when people were lying- it's like a superpower. She knew that this man was telling the truth.

"Why should I believe you, why should I come with you? I don't even know you!" Emma asked for good measure.

"Regina has a message for you. She said if I give it to you then you'd come with me." Hook started.

"Go on," requested an anxious Emma.

"She said she is waiting for you... and that she loves you." Hook explained, looking down at his hands.

Emma's heart melted. She didn't know what to think. All she knew is that she wanted to find this woman more than anything.

"Mom, the girl from your dreams loves you! We have to go with Hook. You heard your doctor! If you find her you can't let her go! We have to go back to the enchanted forest." Henry excitedly said to his mother.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. I don't even know you. Do you understand how crazy this is?" Emma looked at the strange man, and then looked at her son who had a huge smile on his face. But again, she couldn't help this feeling of familiarity with Hook. She trusted him, and on top of that he would supposedly bring her to Regina. She couldn't let his offer go. She needed to put her trust into this man. Emma asked one more question. "How do I know you aren't some crazy serial killer who is playing games with my head?"

"Swan, I can promise you that if you and your son come with me, you will not be disappointed. And I can assure you, I will not hurt you. Use your super power, see if I'm lying." Hook said as he got up from the couch and stepped closer to Emma, making eye contact with her.

How did he know that? Emma thought. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was being truthful.

"Kid?" Emma asked looking at her son.

"Yeah mom?" Henry asked nervously.

"Go get dressed. We're going to the enchanted forest." Emma said.

**The enchanted forest**

A large puff of green smoke appeared before the trio, making them all look at Wicked.

"Good to see you all. How are we doing here? Any news on my curse?" The witch asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I told you, Ana! I do not have it. Unfreeze the kingdom and let us go!" Regina stared at the woman before her. "Please" she added for good measure.

"Oh, well since you asked nicely...NO!" the witch replied, laughing to herself. "I am sick of these lies Regina. I just asked one simple question and you can't even give me an answer, you foolish girl." She walked closer to the trio, eyeing every one of them up and down. "So what's the deal with you three? Rumour has it that you hate these two, Regina."

"That's none of your business" Regina replied furiously.

The witch ignored Regina's reply and continued, "So this Emma girl broke your curse, huh?"

"She's the saviour." Snow replied for Regina. "And she will find us, and she will stop you!"

"hahaha! I'd like to see that." The witch responded coolly. "I reckon if she broke your curse, Regina, there is a possibility that she could break mine."

"There will be no curse! I told you already I don't have it. I used it already, it no longer exists." Regina shouted.

"Well, you know me. I like to take protective measures. I'll kill her anyway." The witch replied, a grin forming on her face.

Regina felt a sharp pain in her heart and the wicked witch's words. "Don't you dare touch her" she shouted, her face contorted with pain and tears forming in her eyes.

"Well, well, well. It seems you have some sort of feelings for this 'saviour'" Ana looked to her opponent. "Tell me Regina, is it love?"

Regina didn't reply. She silently cried and looked down trying not to make eye contact with the witch.

"Oh so it is!...Well that'll make her death so much more satisfying." The green woman smirked as she saw Regina's face drop. "Your 48 hours is almost up, dear. I'll be back shortly, and when I'm back I better have the curse or I will get you Regina... and your happiness too!" The evil woman said before disappearing into a green puff of smoke.

Regina fell to her knees and buried face in her hands, her tears hitting the ground like bullets.

**Boston**

"A pirate ship? Really?" Emma asked, defeated.

"Cool!" Henry exclaimed, hopping on the giant vessel.

"After you, Swan." Hook gestured to Emma.

Emma followed her son to the front of the ship. "Hey kid. Are you okay with this? I feel like a terrible mother for getting us into this situation."

"Are you kidding? Mom listen, I'm not going to sit around all day seeing you all sad because of this mysterious Regina woman. I see that you're hurting and I just want you to be happy. Just like that therapist said, you have to find her. It's for your own good! And besides, you used your super power to see if this guy was lying and he's not. I don't know about you, but I think he's kind of cool. I like him." Henry replied, giving his mother an encouraging smile.

"Thank you Henry. I love you" Emma said before pulling her son in for a hug.

"I love you too, Ma. Like I promised you, it'll all be okay" Hugging his mother back.

"Are we ready?" Hook asked of the duo, making them pull away from their hug.

"As ready as we'll ever be" Emma replied. "This is going to be a long day" She thought out loud. She is surprised at how much trust she is putting into this guy. Nonetheless she listens to her gut. She was going to find Regina, if it was the last thing she'd do.

**Enchanted forest**

"It's been almost 48 hours. Where are they?" Snow asks with a look of defeat in her eyes.

"They'll be here soon. Have a little hope" Charming said to his wife.

The trio suddenly heard footsteps coming from the front foyer and ran to it.

Regina's heart dropped at the sound of the footsteps. 'This is finally it' she thought. She looked around the corner only to find Hook and Henry walking up to the three individuals.

"Henry!" Regina exclaimed, a huge smile grew on her face. "Where's Emma?" The smile quickly faded upon noticing that Emma was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" Emma said breathless, running after Henry and Hook. Upon entering the palace she froze in her tracks. Her heart dropped at the sight. "Regina" Emma whispered to herself upon seeing the familiar face.

Regina's heart skipped a beat. The beautiful woman she had only been seeing through a mirror all those months was finally standing right in front of her. "Emma" she whispered back.

"Alright, let's give them some privacy." Charming proposed, leading Snow, Hook and Henry to the dining hall.

"Who are you? Why do I keep having dreams about you?" Emma asked while a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Emma... don't cry" Regina began, delicately wiping the tear from Emma's cheek with her thumb. "I love you"

"But... but I don't know you." Emma backed away slightly. She had opened herself up to love before and that didn't go well. She couldn't take the risk. She woke up every night, heartbroken when Regina left her in her dream. What if it happened in real life?

"Emma please, I can explain. Just don't block me out, don't run away." Regina pleaded.

"Okay" Emma sighed in defeat.

"Emma, I know this doesn't make sense right now but it will. I promise." Regina began "Almost 12 years ago you gave birth to Henry and gave him up for adoption. I was the one to adopt him. When he was 10, Henry found you and dragged you back to Storybrooke with him. The moment I laid eyes on you I was infuriated. All I wanted was for you to get the hell out of my life, so I could be with my son. As time passed, I had realized that you and I were not all that different. All we truly wanted was for Henry to be safe and happy. I grew tolerant of you, and tolerance grew to fondness and as much as it surprised me...fondness grew to love. I never fully realized it until we got back from Never Land. But I do know that I loved you long before that. You were the only one who believed in me. You had hope in me Emma, and you saw that I wasn't the evil queen that everyone made me out to be. I hadn't told you when I had the chance Emma. I didn't want either of us to get hurt. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I wish I could've told you when your memory was normal. It would certainly make things easier for both of us. I understand that you may think I'm probably insane, but I told you the truth Emma. I'm telling you I love you, and that's all I ever wanted –for you to know how much I love you." Regina said with tears furiously rolling down her cheeks.

Emma was certainly taken aback by everything she just heard. What on earth was this woman talking about? Never Land, Storybrooke, and Henry being her son?! As confused as she was, Emma overlooked the craziness she just heard. She always thought she was insane for loving a character in her dream but now knowing this woman wasn't a character, and that she was standing right in front of her was enough to make Emma the happiest she has ever been. The situation didn't even make sense, but it provided more love and happiness than she could ever image. Hearing this woman, in real life, say that she loved her was amazing. Emma always had her guard up when it came to love, but for some reason it was different with Regina. It was a different kind of love. Emma felt patience, and comfort, and happiness and she knew all these things added up to true love. She loved Regina and Regina loved her.

"Emma?" Regina asked softly upon not hearing a reply from Emma for quite some time.

Emma looked Regina lovingly in her eyes and asked "You really love me?"

"I do, with every ounce of my being" Regina replied, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"I don't know who you are, or how I know you" Emma began. "But... I love you, too" She said before cupping Regina's face with her hands and pulling her into a tight hold, kissing her passionately with everything she had.

Regina melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Emma's waist.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed around the room taking everyone by surprise. Regina pulled back from the kiss looking to see if the force field was still there. It was gone and she realized that Emma had done it, she had broken the curse. "You did it!" Regina exclaimed.

Emma stood there, unable to move. In an instant memories came flowing back into her mind. Every happy, sad, bad, good, painful, and loving memory she had ever had following the surprise visit from her son on her 28th birthday was restored. "Regina?" Emma asked softly, looking directly into those beautiful brown eyes she missed so much.

"Yes Emma, I'm here. I'll always be here." Regina threw her arms around Emma pulling her into a tight embrace.

Emma smiled, hugging Regina with everything she had. She pulled back slightly and passionately kissed the woman from her dreams. Both women's hearts melted and neither of them had felt this happy in a long time.

"It worked!" Charming exclaimed upon returning to the front foyer with Snow, Hook, and Henry.

"MOM!" Henry exclaimed running to Regina, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh, Henry! I missed you so much!" Happy tears rolled down Regina's cheek, hugging her son tightly.

"Emma!" Snow said approaching her daughter. She, along with Charming pulled Emma into their famous group hug.

After their embrace, Emma turned to Hook. "Hey, thanks for dragging Henry and I back here. We would never have gotten back otherwise. I owe 'ya one."

"I suppose you do Swan." Hook said, looking down at his hands.

"Listen Hook, I'm sorry for leading you on. That kiss back in Never Land..." Emma began as she was quickly interrupted.

"No need to explain Swan. I understand." Hook countered.

"Thanks Hook. And don't worry, you'll find the right one. Everyone gets their happy ending" Emma said, holding her hand out for Regina to take. Their hands intertwined and the two women smiled at each other lovingly.

"Not quite, my dear." A loud voice said, causing the group to turn. "I wouldn't say everyone gets their happy ending." The evil green witch said in response to Emma's comment.

In an instant Regina stepped in front of Emma and Henry in attempt to protect them from the wicked witch. Now that time had started again and the witch's temporary curse was broken, Regina had her magic back. She threw her arms out in attempt to knock the witch over, but wasn't quick enough. The green woman used her magic to throw Regina to the other side of the room, and the force was enough to knock her out.

"REGINA!" Emma called, running to where Regina was thrown.

"So... you must be the famous saviour. I've heard so much about you" The witch looked at her opponent.

"What do you want?" An infuriated Emma countered. She walked up to the woman and looked directly into her eyes.

"Oh yes that's right, you just got here, you probably have no clue what's going on. Well firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Wicked. I come from a land named Oz"

"Oz? Are you kidding me? You're like the wicked witch of the East in the Wizard of Oz? Come on, give me a break." Emma said, trying to intimidate her opponent.

"How did you know I was from the East? Who told you this information? Are they talking about me in other realms?" The witch was taken by surprise.

"Yeah, something like that" Emma laughed. "Now listen here. I'm really tired of this crap. My life is a constant fight. I finally get settled, find some happiness in my life and then someone like you has to come and try to destroy that. You could only imagine how annoying that must be right?" Emma asked nonchalantly of the evil woman.

"Listen to me very carefully" the witch began. "I don't know what you think this is, but I assure you it's not a joke. Maleficent? Rumpelstiltskin? Peter Pan? You think they're evil, well sweetheart you haven't seen anything yet. I came here for the curse and I intend to get it!" Her voice boomed off of the walls. Anger clearly boiling inside of her. "And do you want to know a fun fact" she continued. "I found out that you, Ms. Swan, pose a great threat to this curse. You broke it before and you can do it again. So in order to prevent that from happening I hope you understand that I'll have to take some serious precautions. I will kill you. Oh, but don't worry, if you cooperate ill make it quick and painless. If you chose not to cooperate I will make you watch while I kill every last one of your loved ones. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" The wicked witch shouted directly into Emma's face. "Now where is the curse?!"

Emma was infuriated by the woman but she was defenceless. She could do nothing about it, especially since she didn't have the curse. It no longer existed. There was no way of getting it back. Emma was startled to find Charming running toward the green woman with his sword.

"Step away from my daughter!" he shouted. With a flick of her wrist she sent the man flying into the air, making his head slam against the wall. He too was knocked out. Snow ran to her husband, holding his head in her arms, wiping the blood from his face.

"Well aren't your companions quite annoying?" The witch said. With another flick of her wrist she sent Henry and Hook into the same room and Snow and Charming and locked the door. She was left along with Emma, and an unconscious Regina.

Emma ran towards the witch, catching her off guard and punched her square in the face.

"You really shouldn't have done that." The witch snarled, wiping the trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. In an instant Emma was pinned up against the wall frozen in place.

"I warned you, dear... if you don't cooperate I'll have to make you watch while I kill your loved ones... I think I'll start with her" the witch looked down and the brunette who was beginning to regain consciousness. "Oh perfect, now she'll be awake when I kill her ...And you can see the look of defeat in her eyes when I rip her heart out and crush it!" The witch said, throwing her head back laughing at her evil plan.

"Emma" Regina softly whispered. The brunette held her head as she weakly stood up. She was immediately put in a choke hold by the witch, using her magic. Regina was now defenceless.

"REGINA!" Emma cried out. She made eye contact with Regina, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Let her go!" Emma demanded of the green woman.

"And why would I do that?" The witch retaliated. "The fun has just begun" she continued before pushing her hands through Regina's chest and pulling out her heart. "Wow, it isn't as black as I thought it would be. I guess this Emma girl really was good for you. Too bad this is the last moment you'll ever have together." The woman said before slowly applying pressure to the heart.

"Regina! No!" Emma cried. "Please, I'll do whatever you want, please don't hurt her! Let her go!" Emma begged to the witch as she was trying to wiggle her way out of the magical hold. There was no way, though. It was too strong.

"Oh dear, it's too late now. I already gave you that chance and you didn't take it. But don't fight it. Just watch and enjoy the show, it'll be over soon." The witch smiled when she saw the look on Emma's face.

Emma looked down to Regina who was clutching her chest in pain.

Regina became light headed. Her knees weakened, no longer being able to hold herself up and she started collapsing. Now lying on the floor, Regina was helpless. She felt her life quickly slipping away. She didn't even get to spend one day of happiness with Emma, the woman she loved with all of her heart. Regina looked up into Emma's beautiful green eyes and whispered "I love you."

Emma felt the wetness on her cheeks as she saw Regina slowly dying. 'Oh no!' she thought, 'this is just like my dream. NO it can't end this way, I won't let it! I'm not losing her again!' Her blood was boiling and she suddenly felt her finger tips tingling. Shortly after, her whole body was tingling and full of magic. With slight concentration Emma released herself from the magical hold.

Wicked stopped what she was doing in surprise and Regina started to catch her breath.

In an instant, Emma walked up to the evil witch, pulled out her heart and crushed it with her bare hands. The witch collapsed and her body disappeared into thin air. All that was left was her dress, broom, hat, and Regina's heart.

Emma quickly picked up the heart and ran to her lover's side. "Regina" She whispered before crouching beside Regina's weak body, pulling the fragile woman into her arms.

"Emma" Regina said, nearly breathless. "You... you used magic" A smile formed on Regina's face.

"Yeah, I guess I did" Emma said, smiling through her tears.

"I guess those magic lessons I gave you in Never Land paid off." Regina said, delicately wiping the tears from Emma's cheeks.

Emma smiled at Regina's observation. Emma took the heart and placed it back, gently into Regina's chest. "Better?" She asked.

"Most definitely" Regina replied before pulling Emma's face down to her own. "I love you" She whispered.

"I love you too." Emma said before kissing Regina lightly, but with as much passion as she had.

The couple was startled to hear a loud bang. Hook knocked down the door, freeing himself along with Snow, Henry, and Charming.

"Mom! Momma!" Henry ran to his mothers and pulled them into a tight embrace.

"Hello, sweetheart" Regina said, giving him a tight squeeze.

"Henry!" Emma exclaimed, smiling at her son and hugging him back.

"Where are David and Mary Margaret?" Emma asked, pulling away from the embrace to look at Hook.

"Your father took a rather large hit. I placed him on the couch to rest. He should be fine. He'll come to shortly." Hook assured. "And your mother is with him." He added. "I'll be heading out now. Swan, it was a pleasure. Perhaps I'll be seeing you again in the future." Hook headed to the door.

"Hey Hook... thanks." Emma called after him, smiling at the captain.

Hook smiled, continuing his exit.

Emma stood up, offering Regina a hand. She walked over to Snow and Charming.

"Hey Mary Margaret" Emma said softly.

"Emma!" a large smile grew on Snow's face as she got up and hugged her daughter. "I'm so glad you're okay. I've missed you so much Emma. Your father and I both have."

"It's good to be back. I've missed you both, too" Emma said, returning the hug.

"So I have to tell you something... it's about me and Regina." Emma broke from the hug, nervous about telling her mother the news.

"Oh sweetheart, I already know. She actually told us how she felt about you right after Jiminy came back from your appointment." Snow smiled at her daughter.

"So you're okay with Regina and I being together? You knew about it? Wait, you guys actually spoke to one another? Are you friends now or what? And Archie! He was my therapist! How did you guys... what...when... I..." Emma started before being cut off by the now awakened Charming.

"It looks like we've got a lot of explaining to do" he said, grabbing his daughter's hand.

Emma smiled at the gesture. "Yeah it sure seems like it."

"Why don't we all get together some time. We can all catch up on the past years' events." Regina suggested to the group.

"That sounds wonderful" Snow replied with a warm smile.

Regina smiled back before being pulled away by Emma into the other room. Emma pulled her close, kissing her lovingly. "I don't ever want to come that close to losing you again." Emma said to Regina. "I love you" she continued before hugging her tightly.

"And you won't have to Emma. It finally looks like we are getting our happily ever after" Regina said, pulling back to look at those beautiful green eyes she loved so much. "I love you" she whispered.

**1 year later**

Regina smiled upon feeling familiar arms wrap around her waist from behind. "Sweetheart, I must finish cooking. Your parents will be here for dinner in an hour and this lasagne isn't going to cook itself."

Emma gently turned Regina around, so her front was flush with Regina's and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Breathless, Regina asked "what was that for?"

"To show you how much I love you" Emma said, admiring her wife's beautiful brown eyes.

Regina couldn't help but blush.

"I'm serious Regina. I love you. I am hopelessly in love with you. I'm so lucky to have you." Emma said, giving Regina a small smile.

"Emma dear, I love you too. More than you will ever know" Regina said as she wrapped her arms around Emma giving her a tight hug.

The two women stood there, holding each other, feeling the warmth in their embrace for some time. Henry came into the kitchen laughing to himself at the sight of his mothers. "Will you two ever let each other go!?" He said playfully.

Regina slightly pulled away- just enough so she could look into Emma's eyes. She smiled warmly and whispered "never," before pulling her back into a passionate kiss.

Regina couldn't be happier. She felt warmth in her heart and finally had the happy ending she had always dreamed of.


End file.
